IDP Start Bench: Week One

For the first week of the season it is a good idea to make sure you have your stud IDP fantasy players in your lineup. As long as a player is healthy and ready to roll, their is a reason you drafted that defensive player and you should play them. While many fantasy owners have been playing IDP fantasy football for years this is an ever expanding style of fantasy and many fantasy owners will be playing their first year of IDP in 2010.

Below we have some IDP players that we feel will have good or poor starts to the year.

Defensive Lineman

Start’em

Cliff Avril / Kyle Vanden Bosch: We talked about Cliff Avril in our waiver wire pickups section and he should have a great game against the Bears this week. Fellow defensive lineman Kyle Vanden Bosch may not be the player he was just a couple years ago but should rack up at least one sack against Jay Cutler.

The Bears have one of the worst offensive lines for pass protection in football and passing is a big part of their offense. This means big time opportunities for all defensive ends playing the Bears this year.

Justin Smith: The 49ers top defensive lineman should be a starter in many leagues and this week he has a great matchup against the Seahawks. Seattle will be without their left tackle and their offensive line coach quite the team this past weekend. Look for the 49ers to get a lead on the Sehawks early and set Smith up for a possible huge game.

Chris Long: The Rams face the Cardinals this week and Derek Anderson is a statue in the backfield. Chris Long is expected to have a possible breakout year in 2010 and this should be a good start on his way to success. Look for Long to get a few opportunities to rack a sack or two up in this one.

Calais Campbell: Another defensive end playing in the Rams vs Cardinals’ game.With a rookie quarterback starting his first game Calais Campbell could have a field day.

Kelly Gregg: If you start defensive tackles than Gregg Kelly is a good player to have in your league. The Jets love to run the football and the Ravens tackle does a great job of stuffing the run. Look for Kelly to be active on Monday night against New York.

Sit’em

Osi Umenyiora: When it comes to who is a better IDP option in Osi Umenyiora or Mathias Kiwanuka I would go with Kiwi. Many feel Osi is on the outs with the Giants and this will be his final year with the Big Blue. The Panthers should keep the football on the ground early and often in this one and Matt Moore had a big game against the group in 2009.

Umenyiora will probably struggle with inconsistency as many defensive lineman do. It’s hard to look to Osi until he shows how productive he will be with Kiwi around.

Ray Edwards: The Saints do a fair share of passing, but they have a strong offensive line and Drew Brees doesn’t take many sacks. This should be a challenging game for Ray Edwards even though he will face single blocking because of the talent the Vikings defensive line has.

Antwan Odom: The Bengals defensive end had a hot start last season before an injury ended his year. While Tom Brady isn’t the fleetest of foot at quarterback I anticipate a big day for the veteran quarterback. Look for the Patriots to be on point and for Odom to have a down week.

Linebackers

Start’em

E.J. Henderson: Another player I talked about in waiver wire for week one. E.J. Henderson should be owned in many fantasy leagues by now as he is a clear starter for week one and fully healthy. This is a big surprise as Henderson wasn’t expected to even be on the playing field for the first month early this summer.

With Henderson at a full go, he makes for a clear top twenty linebacker to have in IDP fantasy football.

Rolando McClain: The Raiders’ rookie middle linebacker should find himself on the field a lot in his first game against the Titans. This should lead to a possible double digit tackle game for the talented rookie. While McClain will make his mistakes this season, he will also make many plays and should be a good starter for many weeks.

Stewart Bradley: As always, if you have strong options for your starters than there is no need to go with Stewart Bradley. However, if a starter is dinged up than Bradley could make for a decent play against the Packers. Bradley has had a good camp since coming back from a torn ACL last summer.

Sit’em

Jonathan Vilma: The Saints middle linebacker will be a solid start for many weeks this season. However, Vilma did suffer a groin injury in the preseason, and he may be slowed early on. If you have a decent bench option then you should consider benching Vilma and keeping an eye on him for the Thursday game.

DeAndre Levy: The Lions middle linebacker DeAndre Levy should be a valuable player to have on your IDP squad but week one he’s hurt. Levy may not play this week, but if he does then I suggest you find a healthy option to go with over him.

Brian Urlacher: One of the more over rated linebackers in IDP history, Brian Urlacher is a question mark for me. Sure, he has talent and when healthy he is a starter in IDP leagues. Remember this guy missed all of last year after a first half injury in the first game of the year. Then in the second week of the preseason he had an injury early in the game.

It’s way past time to question if Urlacher can play at full speed throughout a full season. Keep him on the bench unless you don’t have a productive player to go to. I want to see him get it done for a week before I trust him personally.

Defensive Backs

Start’em

Brandon Flowers: I just love this kid as he has the skill set to become a very solid IDP corner. Brandon Flowers broke out with a solid season in his second year and should have a better one in 2010. Look for teams to continue to challenge him in the passing game but Flowers will make plays for your time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks off Philip Rivers in the first game of the year.

Dawan Landry: The Ravens have a patch work secondary but safety Dawan Landry is a rock. Because he is arguably the only play maker in the Ravens back field, Landry should get many opportunities to make plays. The Jets, like many teams this year will need to beat the Ravens in the passing game.

Look for Landry to have a nice season overall as a productive weekly safety in IDP fantasy football.

Darrelle Revis: Don’t worry about Revis missing time this offseason season. Revis knows what it takes to be great in the NFL and should be a solid start week one. His IDP fantasy value could actually be improved because of the holdout as teams may test him to see if he’s in playing shape.

Sit’em

Kenny Phillips: For some reason, certain fantasy annalists seem to be on safety Kenny Phillips jock. I don’t like him and I think he’s been over rated since coming out of Miami. Bottom line is that Phillips still needs to show he can be effective in this league and that his knee is back to some normalcy.

Wait on using Phillips until we see him actually produce well on the field of play.

Vontae Davis: Many fantasy owners won’t be starting Vontae Davis this week, but I thought it was a good time to point out that he is injured. Davis could have a very productive IDP fantasy season this year but with an injury early on he could struggle.